PostFinance cuts off Wikileaks founder
PostFinance has dealt the founder of Wikileaks another blow by shutting down his bank account. Swiss Post’s financial arm closed the account belonging to Julian Assange, after it was revealed that he provided false information regarding his place of residence when opening the account.
The hugely controversial site, publishing secret US diplomatic cables, has been in operation since last month.
Assange claimed he was residing in Geneva when opening the account, which is believed to be false.
According to reports, the freeze includes personal assets and a defence fund totalling EUR 31,000.
A statement from PostFinance said: “The Australian citizen provided false information regarding his place of residence during the account opening process.
“Assange entered Geneva as his domicile. Upon inspection, this information was found to be incorrect. Assange cannot provide proof of residence in Switzerland and thus does not meet the criteria for a customer relationship with PostFinance.
“For this reason, PostFinance is entitled to close his account. If there is any indication that the information provided by an account holder may not comply with the detailed valid provisions, PostFinance investigates the circumstances in detail and draws the appropriate conclusions.”
Assange was arrested by British police this morning (7 December) over sexual assault claims in Sweden.
